Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1887-05-25
A Gypsy Beauty.

Under the above title, in the Century,
Charles q. Leland writes of Charlotte
Cooper, n of the Oldest and most
famous OF the Romantics.
Fifty or sixty years ago the gypsies
in England we're q much more remark
able race than they are at present. The
railway had not come to break up their
habits, there were hundreds of lonely
places in dell and dingle where they
could hatch the tan, or pitch the tent,
their blood had been little mixed with
that of the GOrgio, or Gentle; they
spoke their language with greater
purity than at present, and still kept
their old characteristics unchanged. If
they had the faults OF Arabs, they had
also many of their good qualities. Ii
they stole horses and foraged on farm.
ers, If their women told fortunes, lied.
and sometimes cheated q man out of all
his ready money by pretending to find
. treasure in his cellar, on the other
hand they were extremely grateful and
honest to those who befriended them,
and manifested in many ways q rough
manliness which partially redeemed
their petty vices. They were all, as
are many OF their IONS at present, in
domitable rough riders of the horse
horsey,' and to a man boxers, SO that
many Of them we're distinguished in the
prize-ring, tho last OF these being Jem
Mace. At this time there prevailed
among the English Romany q strong,
mutual faith, q tribal honesty, which
was limited, but all the stronger for
that, even AZ the arms of q man grow
stronger when he loses the use of his
legs. They we're . people of powerful
frames. passions, and traditional prin-
ciples. Their weak children soon died
from the hardships of nomadic life, the
remainder illustrated selection by suf-
fering. and the survival Of the fittest-
TO fight.
with such characteristics there
could not fail among the gypsies meny
striking instances Of warm friendship,
intense love, and the fidelity which en-
durcs ' till death. This was known
Of them when little else was known be.
yond their most apparent and repulsive
traits Walter Scott INDUCED in no
romantic license when he depicted
Hayraddin Mangrabin rs devoted to
Quentin Durward; ever at present the
incident Of . thoughtful gift or any
little act of kindness to them will be
remembered with . gratitude out of all
proportion to it's value, and 60 the
rounds Of all the Romany in the United
StateA- And therefore when men fell
in love with women there often resulted
those instances of intense passion and
steady faith, which at the present day
are really becoming mythical. The
gypsy in this, as in everything else. has
been q continuation Of the middle
ages, or Of the romance era.
such q passion was inspired more
than half . century ago by Jack
Cooper, the Ktuumengro Rom, or
Fighting Gypsy, in q girl of his own
tribe. Her name was Charlotte Lee,
and it was about 1880 that Leslie, the
Royal Academician, led by the fame
Of her beauty, painted the picture, now
in New York in the possession Of his
sister, Miss Emma Leslie, from which
the engraving here given was taken.
The fame Of her charms still survives
among her people. and when y few days
ago a. / write. / was talking of Char
lotte to some gypsies OF her kin neal
Philadelphia, / was asked If I meant
the Riskeni; that is. the Beautiful one.